Animal testing -Cosmetic Industry

Nowadays, a lot of industries use animals mainly for the purpose of testing before the actual human use. One such industry is the cosmetic industry.  A lot of companies have tested their cosmetics on animals. These companies have stopped testing their products on animals because of the protests lodged by the animal activists. Avon was the first company to stop testing their products on animals. Major companies like Boots, Yardley and Revlon have also made claims that they have stopped testing their products on animals. The animals were used for cosmetic testing in the past but a lot of alternatives are being found, now.Approximately, 38,000 animals are used every year for cosmetics testing in the European countries. The people all around the world have been signing petitions to stop the cruelty to animals.

Cosmetic materials like eye shadow are tested on rabbits which cause irritation to them.Sunscreens are tested mostly on guinea pigs which could possibly cause allergies and bleeding problems to these animals. Nearly 50% of the animals being tested die after two or three weeks of experimentation.There are some advantages pointed out by these industries as to why they are using animals for testing and there are more disadvantages of animal testing also.

Advantages:


The major advantage is that it protects the human health and safety. This is the major reason claimed by these companies for performing the tests. These tests enable a greater edge of the cosmetic industries over the other industries. The companies claim that they are safeguarding the environment through these testings. They also claim that the consumers are putting pressure on them to produce reliable and good products.

Disadvantages:

The tests may cause allergic reactions on these animals.The cosmetic testing could also cause  swollen eyelids, ulceration , liver problems and bleeding to the animals. The major concern for the animal activists is the inhuman treatment of the animals.The animals  have a different  blood vessels distribution and their skin does not react in the same way to the tests as that of a human.The cosmetic testing on animals is very expensive and less reliable.